„Balfourian speech” and Anti-colonial Discourse in the Ukrainian Literature of the fin de siècle Period

Kupidura, Ryszard

The author embarks on a post-colonial analysis of short stories by two fin-de-siecle Ukrainian writers Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky and Mykhailo Hrushevskyi. He scrutinizes the content of utterances by characters in For the Benefit of All by Kotsiubynsky, and Bekh-al'-Dzhuhur by Hrushevskyi. These utterances are compared to a speech delivered by a former British Prime Minister James Balfour, who openly supported the colonial policy. In the abovementioned short stories the so-called "Balfourian speech" stands in a stark contrast to the narrated world, which turns makes them thoroughly anti-colonial.